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Sun, 18 Mar 2018 14:24:32 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.6Working Past 60http://rogena.com/2018/03/18/working-past-60/
http://rogena.com/2018/03/18/working-past-60/#respondSun, 18 Mar 2018 14:12:04 +0000http://rogena.com/?p=6414Continue reading]]>Last month, I did a radio show in which we discussed some reasons to work after the age of 60. I used my own experience starting a new career at 65 as an example and then described some of the benefits from research. The gist was that staying active and engaged did more to help people age well than staying home and watching TV.

Given that those of us in our 60s can expect to live, on average, another 20 years, it makes little sense to stop contributing to the world around us. The fastest way to lose our communication skills is to stay home and do nothing. That’s also a quick way to let our physical and mental abilities atrophy. So here are some benefits of working past 60:

More income. Less than half of all households with adults 60 and over have sufficient savings to support their quality of life for the next two decades. Working longer not only helps pay for basics, it allows us to enjoy more of life. Whatever nest egg you have accumulated, more income will allow it to grow further. And whether you’re drawing Social Security benefits yet or not, the longer you work, the more you can increase those benefits.

Social opportunities. Maybe you didn’t like going to work. You were so glad to retire when you got the chance. But there comes a time when you miss the social interaction. All of our lives—first in school, then on the job—we have developed relationships with the people we regularly see on a daily basis. When those structures are gone, it’s tougher to stay in touch. A job—even a part-time one—gives you a place to go and people to see. It keeps you from becoming isolated.

New challenges. When the joy of sleeping in and relaxing wears off, try something new. A job can provide mental challenges that keep your brain active and working properly. The old adage of “use it or lose it” applies to cognitive abilities. Writing reports, selling products, learning to use technology, even solving problems in a fast-food environment—they all take mental effort and provide stimulation to keep your mind in better shape. Dr. Michael Roizen, the Cleveland Clinic chief wellness officer, says: “The people who don’t retire or who come back to work part-time live longer and live healthier with less disability.”

Physical activity. Not having a job to go to leaves many of us filling our days with watching television. And with the Internet, the viewing options are endless. But most jobs require us to get dressed and drive to the workplace. Some jobs require standing, lifting, and other forms of physical activity. Dr. Roizen says that people are “…less likely to develop chronic diseases if they are still physically active in retirement.”

An identity. A common question asked when first meeting people is, “What do you do?” So much of our social identity is tied to our jobs. When we retire, we sometimes struggle to come up with a simple answer. The work we do can give us a sense of purpose. It can represent an extension of our passions or skills. It can represent the role we play in the community. Often it isn’t until we retire that realize the how much we related to the work we did.

Given the number of years that lie ahead, it might be time to rethink the notion of complete retirement and consider pursuing new or part-time or even volunteer work. As the old milk ads stated, it does a body good.

]]>http://rogena.com/2018/03/18/working-past-60/feed/0A New Lease on Lifehttp://rogena.com/2018/02/11/a-new-lease-on-life/
http://rogena.com/2018/02/11/a-new-lease-on-life/#respondSun, 11 Feb 2018 18:50:11 +0000http://rogena.com/?p=6405Continue reading]]>I didn’t watch this year’s Super Bowl but heard that it was an unusually exciting one. I also missed my favorite part—watching the ads that debut during the big game. Instead, I found them on the Internet. A few of them were good, but one really grabbed my attention. It was called “This is Getting Old” and portrayed working as an older adult to be a problem.

Using the music of Harry Belafonte’s “Banana Boat Song” (commonly known for the “Day-O” refrain), the E-Trade commercial changed one lyric from “Daylight come and me wanna go home” to “I’m 85 and I wanna go home.” Click here to watch it.

The ad itself is humorous, but feeds on the fear of facing retirement without financial security. It shows old folks trying to wield a fire hose, working as a life guard, and struggling with other jobs. The thing is, there’s a completely different side to working later in life.

After nearly 30 years of teaching college classes, my schedule was getting lighter due to low enrollment. I had retirement income, but wasn’t ready to stop working. The times I had fewer classes, I found myself watching too much TV and feeling depressed. I needed something to keep my mind stimulated. Something to challenge me. I needed to make use of the knowledge and skills I’ve accumulated.

Although I’d been volunteering and giving presentations, I wanted to do more. So, at the age of 65, I threw my hat into the ring. At first, the applications went unanswered. I started wondering about age discrimination.

Then, as fate would have it, after asking someone to provide a reference for me on one particular job, she responded with a better offer. Turns out, the agency I’d been volunteering with for the past few years had a position open that suit me to a tee. They let me set my work schedule, gave me new technologies and material to learn, and put me in with supportive people who make me feel right at home.

It’s a perfect fit. The job allows me to use my skills and talents while stretching me in new ways. I’m excited to get up each morning, looking forward to doing work I am passionate about.

I feel blessed to have started a new career that’s flexible, meaningful, and fun. So, as for the E-Trade ad, I would change that lyric to “Day-O! I’m 65 and I’m glad to leave home.”

]]>http://rogena.com/2018/02/11/a-new-lease-on-life/feed/0What’s In a Name?http://rogena.com/2018/01/14/whats-in-a-name/
http://rogena.com/2018/01/14/whats-in-a-name/#respondSun, 14 Jan 2018 16:34:21 +0000http://rogena.com/?p=6385Continue reading]]>Forbes posted an article last week that revisits the debate over what to call those of us who are of a certain age. Writer Howard Gleckman reviewed some of the euphemisms that have been used over the years. The point seemed to be about avoiding the stigma of negative aging stereotypes.

Some terms—like senior citizens, seniors, the elderly, elders, and retirees—have been rejected by many baby boomers. In light of that, AARP switched from its full name, the American Association for Retired Persons, to the acronym. (Distancing from terms now held in disdain can also be seen in KFC dropping its full name, Kentucky Fried Chicken.)

People who are getting old don’t like words that remind them of the fact. I ran into this issue while doing research for my dissertation on spirituality and aging. The women I interviewed, all over 60, strongly resisted the use of certain terms like old, but they couldn’t agree on what term should be used instead.

The hunt continues for new terminology to identify the old. One that I’ve run across is gerontos, which doesn’t make sense, given that many people don’t know what is meant by gerontology. Besides, it sounds ugly and that defies the whole point, right?

Another term I’ve seen was proposed by anti-ageism advocate Ashton Applewhite, olders. Not sure that one has legs. Gleckman discussed perennials, which suggests that as we continue to grow and age, we blossom over and over. I like the imagery of that. Carstensen, the founding director of the Stanford Center on Longevity, says she likes the term because with it we can “shift away from fear of growing old and toward embracing living long.”

But Gleckman doesn’t like referring to aging that way. Focusing on continuous growth means ignoring the times of serious challenges. “We may live relatively healthy and active lives into our 80s, but many of us will face a period of a year or more when we will be frail,” he notes.

Still, given that the majority of people and the majority of later years still hold the promise of further development and growth, many experts maintain that we need an optimistic term to remind people that aging is so much more than frailty and decline.

So here we are. Just as normal-sized women struggled to move from fat to plus sized to curvy, older adults are having to wrestle with developing new language to shed a more positive light on aging. In 1998, Lauren Hill wrote a song for Aretha Franklin, “A Rose is Still a Rose.” By whatever name we give it, aging is still aging—a multifaceted experience rich with opportunities to grow. Until the perfect new term comes along, I will be grateful for being able to experience growing old.

]]>http://rogena.com/2018/01/14/whats-in-a-name/feed/0New Year, No Agehttp://rogena.com/2017/12/31/new-year-no-age/
http://rogena.com/2017/12/31/new-year-no-age/#respondSun, 31 Dec 2017 14:44:09 +0000http://rogena.com/?p=6379Continue reading]]>As we say goodbye to 2017, AARP takes a look back at the media hits during the year in our fight against ageism. Check out their video and commit to making 2-0-1-8 a year that’s great—for any age!

]]>http://rogena.com/2017/12/31/new-year-no-age/feed/0Advantage: Older Brains!http://rogena.com/2017/12/17/advantage-older-brains/
http://rogena.com/2017/12/17/advantage-older-brains/#respondSun, 17 Dec 2017 20:11:25 +0000http://rogena.com/?p=6359Continue reading]]>I loved the article “Keep Your Focus” in this month’s AARP Bulletin. We’ve been constantly told how younger minds have the advantage because they process information faster. But there’s good news for those of us who grew up before computers and smartphones became ubiquitous. By encountering that technology later, we’ve been able to preserve mental skills that younger people struggle to maintain.

Having been immersed in technology all their lives, younger people are used to rapidly changing screens and fast-paced redirection. As a result, they become bored easily and when faced with a complex assignment, they lose patience more quickly.

Here’s where older adults have the advantage. Not only do our brains do better at staying focused, contrary to popular belief they are better able to learn new things. This is in spite of the jokes and cartoons about older people frustrated with trying to figure out a remote control or how to send an email.

Truth is, being brought up in the era of pencil and paper, we can put our persistence and doggedness to use in learning new skills and information better than most younger people. We may not be able to multitask as well, but we can zoom in on what’s most important.

I have a friend who is in her 30s and can drive a car, discipline a child in the backseat, carry on a phone conversation, and manipulate the navigation on her dashboard at the same time. But when it comes to the detail work demanded in her computer programming class —that drives her crazy.

The AARP article points out that being addicted to social media and hooked on ‘round-the-clock checking of a smartphone leads to a fragmented and shortened attention span. But we older brains can stick with a task for hours and we pay greater attention to detail. It comes down to being better able to manage distractions.

I have to admit, as I sat down to start writing this post, I found myself tempted to check on my students who are taking their final exam. I did get up to do the dishes and marinate some salmon. Then as I sat back down, the clicking of my fingernails on the keyboard irked me and I almost stopped to file them. But instead, I was able to get this post written and published. Whew!

Maybe I’ll tap this focus advantage to help me get better at meditating.

]]>http://rogena.com/2017/12/17/advantage-older-brains/feed/0Stop Anti-Aginghttp://rogena.com/2017/12/15/stop-anti-aging/
http://rogena.com/2017/12/15/stop-anti-aging/#respondFri, 15 Dec 2017 17:27:49 +0000http://rogena.com/?p=6352Continue reading]]>The September issue of Allure magazine featured a cover story on why we should stop using the term anti-aging. I learned about it from the New Old Age conference put on by The Atlantic earlier this year. The point is that anything we put after “anti” suggests something we want to kill or see as bad. Putting it in front of the word aging runs counter to our natural striving to stay alive.

The writers at Allure have committed to banning the word from their pages. Of course, advertisers may not jump on the wagon just yet, but it’s a step in the right direction. The more we shine a light on the absurdity and discriminatory nature of the term anti-aging, the more we open ourselves up to be free to live as ourselves.

]]>http://rogena.com/2017/12/15/stop-anti-aging/feed/0Giving Thankshttp://rogena.com/2017/11/26/giving-thanks/
http://rogena.com/2017/11/26/giving-thanks/#respondSun, 26 Nov 2017 15:00:47 +0000http://rogena.com/?p=6342Continue reading]]>It wasn’t the Thanksgiving any of us had planned. I’ve spent most years sharing the meal with my friend Carol and her family. Over the years, the cooking baton has passed on to her eldest daughter, CJ who, along with her husband, Kevin is a terrific cook.

I prepared a side dish and packed a pie from the local bakery. Just as I was heading out the door, Carol called. Kevin had been taken to the hospital. Stunned, my mind flashed back over the past months in which he had been diagnosed with throat cancer, undergone grueling radiation treatment, and slowly, slowly began to recover. Carol explained that he’d had a routine colonoscopy a few days ago, and helping CJ in the kitchen, had suddenly started bleeding.

CJ and Kevin, along with their two daughters rushed to the hospital, leaving Carol and her husband in the house with the greatgrandchildren. There was no telling when they might come back. Suddenly, a well-planned holiday meal was up in the air. No one knew what would happen. I was nervous, but Carol didn’t need that. So as I made the drive down, I worked on letting go of my fearful thoughts and focusing on showing up with love.

The children played with their various electronic devices and watched TV. They could sense the concern we were all feeling, and so the usual ruckus was replaced with relative calm. After a few hours with no word, we set about filling plates and sitting down to a quiet meal. Later, the call came telling us that Kevin would be kept overnight and was scheduled for surgery the next day. CJ and one daughter stayed at the hospital. The other daughter drove back and ate her Thanksgiving dinner before collected the kids and taking them home with her. Carol and I put massive amounts of food into containers, crammed them into the refrigerator, and cleaned the kitchen.

The next day, Carol called with good news. The surgery went fine and Kevin would be coming home in a few hours. What a relief. My biggest fear had been that death would forever mar this holiday. Had it been Carol or her husband or me, that would be easier to take than the loss of a young man like Kevin. Thankfully, it didn’t come to that.

This was a surreal holiday. It did not go as expected. The rolls were never made. The stuffing wasn’t found until after the meal was over. We weren’t all together in the house. But it was a Thanksgiving filled with blessings. A reminder of the preciousness of life and the gift of love. Reasons for thanksgiving, indeed!

]]>http://rogena.com/2017/11/26/giving-thanks/feed/0The Inner-Outer Journeyhttp://rogena.com/2017/11/19/the-inner-outer-journey/
http://rogena.com/2017/11/19/the-inner-outer-journey/#respondSun, 19 Nov 2017 19:52:53 +0000http://rogena.com/?p=6335Continue reading]]>Life is a two-way trip. That becomes more apparent as I age. On the one hand, I notice skin getting looser and muscles getting softer. My brain has to work harder to remember things and I must take care of joints to avoid unnecessary pain. At the same time, there are inner changes that are transforming the way I experience life.

While the outer may appear to be getting somewhat weaker, I sense something else within growing stronger. Clearer. More real every day. A sense that I am connected to something greater than myself. An awareness of a Presence that moves in and through everything. As my eyesight gets less sharp, my vision reveals an inner wisdom and guidance and my view of spiritual comfort grows sharper.

It’s like a dance going on between my physical body and my spiritual self. One fades as the other grows and dominates. Like the women in my research study, I realize that I am not my body. That awareness liberates me from too much concern as my body continues to change. This body, like a car, is simply a means of getting around. But who and what I am is not limited by it. What happens to it does not define my destiny.

This frees me from over-identifying with physical changes. Even as there seems to be more and more chaos in the world around me, there is deep within a growing sense of calm. A peace beyond understanding. And by simply slowing my breath, I can access it.

So aging is not a unidirectional journey. Whatever is happening to our bodies simply signals that we need to turn our attention to a deepening of the spirit. With each year my body accumulates, my faith in the interconnectedness of all of life grows. And I see evidence of this in my ability to heal. My inner journey restores and refreshes me for the outer challenges.

When we identify as our body, it’s too easy to panic at the first sign of pain or to become depressed with the loss of youthful appearance. But we can acknowledge those changes while holding steadfast to our inner selves. And that leads to finding gratitude and peace. We can glimpse greater possibilities. Most of us feel like we’re much younger inside. And we are. In fact, at our core, we’re timeless.

So when you hear disturbing news. When you see undesired changes. Rely on a greater reality, a larger truth. You are more than a body. And you are not alone. Those truths open the door to a richer experience of age. They enable you to move more easily through whatever you face. And they reveal an expanded future. Our journey is not simply a one-way street. What a terrific reason for thanksgiving!

]]>http://rogena.com/2017/11/19/the-inner-outer-journey/feed/0Under the Influencehttp://rogena.com/2017/10/29/under-the-influence/
http://rogena.com/2017/10/29/under-the-influence/#respondSun, 29 Oct 2017 13:04:34 +0000http://rogena.com/?p=6327Continue reading]]>I don’t know about you, but it seems every time I look up, there’s another ad on TV for some kind of drug. According to the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. is one of only two countries in the world that allow drug companies to advertise product claims directly to the public (New Zealand is the other). The growth in these ads began in the 1980s and is accelerating at an alarming rate. In 1990, total spending on drug ads in this country was $47 million and by 1995, it reached $340 million. By 2006, that figure leaped to $4.5 billion. So if you think it’s your imagination there are more ads, it’s not.

Some would argue that these ads inform and empower the public. They encourage patients to discuss treatment options with their healthcare provider or at least make them aware of new medications that might benefit them.

But there’s another side. Many ads claim their product is effective, but at the risk of a long list of possible negative (and even deadly) side effects. I cringe every time I hear the litany of side effects announced against a backdrop of images of smiling faces and sounds of soothing or upbeat music.

The problem I have with drug ads is that they push the message that taking a pill is the best way to deal with something. This suggests we overlook the impact of a good diet and exercise or lifestyle changes. And they often oversimplify or overstate the benefits.

All this is happening while the news is filled with stories about the opioid epidemic. The irony can’t be overlooked. Just because it’s advertised on TV doesn’t mean the ad is approved by the government.

I was happy to find that the NIH reports that the proliferation of drug ads can manufacture a disease. The ads are “criticized as contributing to the ‘medicalization’ of natural conditions, cosmetic issues, or trivial ailments, resulting in an overmedicated society” (Direct-to-Consumer Pharmaceutical Advertising, 2011, nih.gov).

That report explains my aversion to the abundance of ordinary occurrences that are now being labeled as “moderate to severe” to imply a treatable condition. When did we start calling simple and normal things a disease?

The danger goes beyond the hypnotism induced by watching drug ads. The pharmaceutical industry exerts considerable influence over Congress. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, gun rights organizations spent $10.5 million lobbying Congress in 2016. In the same year, pharmaceuticals and health products producers spent a whopping $248.7 million.

The Washington Post reports that one drug industry executive, Linden Barber, “played a key role in crafting an early version of the legislation that would eventually curtail the DEA’s power…” (October 15, 2017). In addition, the FDA has relaxed drug ad regulations several times over the past few decades.

Where does that leave us? Faced with the opioid drug problem—which has taken more lives than were lost during the Vietnam War or during the height of the AIDS epidemic. Meantime, drug manufacturers invade our living rooms in increasing efforts to lure us in while handicapping the government agencies that should be policing them.

Although the president has declared a national health emergency, that’s not the same as declaring a national emergency. The small difference in words means a huge difference in the funding available to take meaningful action.

The next time you catch a commercial sweetly lulling you into thinking this pill or that will make your life better, think twice before you “ask your doctor.”

]]>http://rogena.com/2017/10/29/under-the-influence/feed/0Keeping Joyhttp://rogena.com/2017/10/22/keeping-joy/
http://rogena.com/2017/10/22/keeping-joy/#respondSun, 22 Oct 2017 18:46:53 +0000http://rogena.com/?p=6320Continue reading]]>Whether it’s due to limited retirement income or to a lifetime of accumulating stuff, many of us fall into a pattern of curtailed spending. That can be great, except when we restrict ourselves to the point that we miss the very things that bring us joy.

That’s what I discovered last week. For years, I had done without a stereo system, except the speakers hooked up to my TV. I made do with the little computer speakers I had. They worked fine for webinars or listening to podcasts. But I had gone without being able to listen to my music with any kind of quality or volume.

Last week, my computer speakers started acting up. The sound dropped from first one and then the other. They were cheap and over 10 years old, but I considered it a luxury to replace them. Still, something from deep within propelled me onto the Internet where I searched for better computer speakers. I found a reasonably priced set with a large subwoofer and before my thrifty self could protest, I placed the order.

To my surprise, the speakers arrived the next day. I unpacked them, disconnected the old set, and installed the new ones. They were larger, so I had to rearrange things on my desk to accommodate the sleek, black boxes. Then I tested them out.

I played my favorite songs from my iTunes collections. I turned on SiriusXM and listened to my favorite stations. Wow! This was what I had been missing. The bass. The clear treble. The vibration and clarity. I love music, especially jazz and old school dance tunes. Listening to keyboards tickled by Joe Sample or the driving beat of a Whispers or Isley Brothers tune is pure ecstasy. Music is one of the things that brings me real joy, and I had forgotten that.

Before I knew it, I was dancing wildly around the room, pausing every now and then to nudge up the volume a bit more. It was thrilling to hear music so loud with no distortion. To think that I had deprived myself of this for so long.

There’s fewer years ahead than behind. So what’s the point of holding back? Life is meant to be lived fully all the way to the end. That means enjoying the things that bring you peace or make you smile. It’s time to savor whatever brings you joy. Are you making room for yours?